![]() ![]() Traditional or "classic" psychedelics are serotonergic agonists that include lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and psilocybin. While this paper will focus on a US context, many of these principles will generalize to practice in other countries. In this paper, we explore ways that therapists encountering clients who are interested in the therapeutic use of psychedelics can ethically and effectively meet this demand inside current legal and ethical regulatory contexts in the USA, such that client risk of harm is reduced and likelihood of positive outcomes is increased. In any case, there is a growing need for education about psychedelics within the mental healthcare field so that clinicians can meet clients' current needs in this area. As a result, individuals seek underground (i.e., illegal) therapy, travel to countries where psychedelics are legally accessible, or use psychedelics on their own, with trusted friends, or with significant others. Legal access to psychedelics for therapeutic purposes is not widespread largely because most psychedelics remain controlled substances in most countries. While there are no known studies documenting this increase in demand, one can look to the recent upsurge of psychedelic integration training programs, workshops, and referral networks as evidence of this increased public interest, as well as the high number volunteers for clinical trials on psychedelics. The resulting public demand for the therapeutic use of psychedelics is being felt in mental health services around the world. As a result of these and other events, many individuals suffering from mental health issues are now seeking to utilize psychedelics for healing, especially in cases where currently available psychotherapeutic or psychopharmacological treatments have failed. The potential application of psychedelics in combination with therapy for the treatment of mental health difficulties has been studied in at least 10 published placebo-controlled, randomized trials to date, with early results appearing promising. While psychedelic use has thrived for thousands of years in Indigenous cultures and for many decades in underground subcultures, psychedelics are increasingly being encountered in the mainstream in countries around the world, as evidenced by a surge of media attention on the therapeutic use of psychedelics, including popular books written on the topic. Common clinical scenarios in this growing clinical area will also be discussed. ![]() It is argued that therapists can meet with clients before and after their own personal psychedelic experiences in order to help clients minimize risk and maximize benefit. A harm reduction approach will be emphasized as a useful framework for conducting therapy around clients' use of psychedelics. This paper explicates such risks and describes ways in which therapists can mitigate them and strive to practice within legal and ethical boundaries. However, incorporating psychedelics into traditional psychotherapy poses some risk given their prohibited status and many therapists are unsure of how they might practice in this area. Therapists therefore have an ethical duty to meet this need by providing support for clients using psychedelics. ![]() While psychedelics are currently prohibited substances in most countries, the growing popularity of their therapeutic potential is leading many people to use psychedelics on their own rather than waiting for legal medical access. ![]() Psychedelic-assisted therapy may represent an upcoming paradigm shift in the treatment of mental health problems as recent clinical trials have demonstrated strong evidence of their therapeutic benefits. ![]()
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